[srishiva]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Autocar India video review is live

All is good. But I couldn't watch when it came to the interiors. Such drab and cheap looking interior on a good car

Renault can still use the Duster name on a more modern version of this to keep up with the times and the segment.

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by srishiva

All is good. But I couldn't watch when it came to the interiors. Such drab and cheap looking interior on a good car

Renault can still use the Duster name on a more modern version of this to keep up with the times and the segment.

Agree, all is good but cant imagine how the current interiors will look in a year or two. By that time, hopefully, the new generation Duster will be launched here.

[Venkatesh]

2020 Renault Duster 1.3 Turbo-petrol reviews

https://youtu.be/hxO8jmneHNU

https://youtu.be/B4UMmI6SLm8

[venbas]

The kicks is sadly overpriced almost prohibitively(maybe to increase Duster sales?). Whilst lacking many of the segment standard features (including on security and basic creature comforts) offered by competition, the Duster does have the awesome reputation with an excellent Turbo petrol engine (The engines is shared with the Mercedes A Class).

Only time will tell whether the Duster manages to make a mark in its new avatar.
P.S : Please being back that AWD please... atleast in top trims. Enthusiasts can forget creature comforts for this reason alone then.

[Tgo]

Does anyone here have hopes of the AWD being launched with this 1.3 T-Petrol drivetrain?

They do have it in Europe and I think it is not much different in terms of the AWD components, than the Diesel AWD that was being sold here. If Reanult India is not launching the European Duster 2.0 then I guess they would keep introducing new variants of the Duster (Explore, Adventure, Sandstorm). Since an automatic is already here (CVT) the only niche option remaining is the AWD.

[coldice4u]

Everybody wants AWD but nobody seems to buy it!

[starke]

Originally Posted by coldice4u

Everybody wants AWD but nobody seems to buy it!

True, they can not spend on RnD for AWD for a 20 people to buy it.

[venbas]

Originally Posted by starke

True, they can not spend on RnD for AWD for a 20 people to buy it.

Actually my fear was with shocking miss of creature comforts the bling generation might stick to Seltos/Cretas. With no AWD the enthusiast generation who might have bought those 20 numbers might also stay away

[darkLightning]

Originally Posted by coldice4u

Everybody wants AWD but nobody seems to buy it!

This may change now, the new Thar has generated quite a buzz and Duster AWD could have been primed to pick off those buyers who wanted more comfort than Thar but had similar aspirations.

[nimz_blr]

First week driving of experience with Duster Turbo !

Hello Fellow BHPins, sharing a brief on my first week of driving experience with Duster Turbo 1.3 CVT since taking delivery on 30th August. These are just initial thought on mileage and engine performance.

Fuel Efficiency :

I will break down the drive in 3 components by traffic conditions to quote the mileage:

1. Weekday driving around home (moderate traffic) -- approx 100kms. Mileage for was approx 11.3

2. Saturday afternoon drive to MG Road and back home (heavy to moderate traffic) -- Total drive was approx. 50kms and mileage was 9.3. Average speed for the trip was just 17kmph.

3. Sunday drive to Manchinbele Dam (approx. 50% highway drive on NICE Road) -- Total drive was approx. 130kms. Mileage for the trip was 12.7. Average speed for this trip was approx 38kmph.

Above quoted mileage figures are based on MID readings. I think in usual city traffic conditions in Bangalore, it should return a mileage of 8-10. In moderate traffic conditions, mileage will be slightly above 10. In longer highway drives, it should comfortably return a mileage of 13+ kmpl.

Engine Performance with CVT Gearbox :

It seems that turbo kicks in at around 1600 - 1700 rpm, though it's fully functional at around 2000rpm only where abundance of torque and punch can be felt. For most part of normal driving, CVT gearbox will maintain RPMs at below 2000 only in "Drive" mode. However as and when we press the pedal further, RPMs increase to above 2000 very swiftly (no significant lag) and car simply launches forward.

I noticed while driving on NICE road, even when cruising at speed of 100, RPMs was at 1900 only. Even at this speed, a push further on pedal provides excellent punch and overtaking other vehicles at similar speeds is quite easy.

Only flip side is slight rubber-band effect apparent in first gear. As we pick up in first gear, RPMs generally increase to around 2000 and as soon as gear shifts to second and onwards, they come back to range of 1100-1200.

All in all, I feel CVT gearbox provides excellent combination of city and highway drivability.

I tried driving in manual mode as well on slightly winding roads while approaching Manchinbele Dam. Good part is that it doesn't upshift the gears automatically in "Manual" mode, so we can extract performance much like manual one by taking RPMs above 2000 from 2nd gear onwards. I did notice that we start getting upshift indicator in MID as soon as engine crosses 2000rpms while driving in manual mode. Still, I think I would need more driving to get used to manual mode as it doesn't quite provided the feel of knowing the gear as we get in proper MTs. Downshifts happen automatically while breaking (as is the case with any ATs), so I had to keep an eye on MID to know which gear I am in and accordingly upshift.

I haven't driven the car beyond 120, so can't comment on high end performance of the engine. Will share further updates when I get the chance to Rev up further

[starke]

Originally Posted by venbas

Actually my fear was with shocking miss of creature comforts the bling generation might stick to Seltos/Cretas. With no AWD the enthusiast generation who might have bought those 20 numbers might also stay away

Yes, 20 was a rough number, may be 100 sales will be lost, but considering the condition of the Industry and rumour that Duster will be discontinued soon for a newer model, from an OEM point of view, risking a good amount of investment for an AWD for a very low sales volume isn't a good idea.

The best example is the Kicks, which offers so many best in segment features and a niche interiors got very less sales volume due to the NIPL's low ASS+Dealer reputation. For sure they would've spend tons of money on the investment and now NIPL is in the verge of death in India market ( I would say instead of the kicks, they could've migrated the Micra into BS6 or even a facelift for the Sunny).

[Venkatesh]

Renault Duster 1.3 Turbo Petrol review by CarandBike



https://www.carandbike.com/reviews/r...review-2290644

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by coldice4u

Everybody wants AWD but nobody seems to buy it!

Those who buy it, buy the extended warranty too and then never want to part ways with it. I bought one in 2015. Link. It would have been the default choice if they would have introduced it in 2012 itself.

Originally Posted by starke

True, they can not spend on RnD for AWD for a 20 people to buy it.

I don't think they need to spend on R&D. The same drive train is available in Europe. The European Duster 2.0 1.3 TCe 4x4 and the 1.5 dci 4x4 have similar dimensions as the Duster sold here. Take a look by placing the two side-by-side here. Indian Duster AWD components are not localized nor are the engine and gearbox for it, so they just have to ship those parts in and bolt them on.

Originally Posted by venbas

Actually my fear was with shocking miss of creature comforts the bling generation might stick to Seltos/Cretas. With no AWD the enthusiast generation who might have bought those 20 numbers might also stay away

Thats absolutely true. Its like VW selling discounted variants of their dated Vento/Rapid just on the basis of the 1.0TSi engine.

[starke]

Originally Posted by Tgo

I don't think they need to spend on R&D. The same drive train is available in Europe. The European Duster 2.0 1.3 TCe 4x4 and the 1.5 dci 4x4 have similar dimensions as the Duster sold here. Take a look by placing the two side-by-side here. Indian Duster AWD components are not localized nor are the engine and gearbox for it, so they just have to ship those parts in and bolt them on.

When I said RnD, it does not only involves the technical developments, but also the operational costs. The AWD set was not 100% imported as certain elements were localized as well. Inorder to release the model with AWD, the supplier-OEM contract has to be renewed by promising a certain volume, in which if they fail so(I guess they already failed on AWD for older version), Renault will have to pay the compensation to the Supplier.

If we take the history of AWD also, it was not a great success, ofcourse it was enthusiastic addon, when compared to sales - The market team decides what variants should go on sale.

This is the information which i received through some insiders and I found that to be logical as if they have an AWD with a 1.5+ MINR price will be a straight flop due to the competition it is facing.

[jazzrockz]

A quick ask - Has anybody come across any reviews of the Manual variant'? Everything I see are of the auto variant.